Bio-Material Applications for Thermal Spray Coatings: Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges and Opportunities
Duy Quang Pham1,2, Sandy Liao1, Noppakun Sanpo3, Peter Kingshott1, Christopher C. Berndt1*, Vi Khanh Truong2 and Andrew S.M. Ang1
- Swinburne University, Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), Melbourne, Australia
- College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
- PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited, Rayong, Thailand
* Presenter
Thermal spray coating technology has an extended history for various bio-engineering applications, ranging from antibiofouling, biocidal to orthopaedic applications. These thermal spray coatings (TSCs) can be in direct contact with microorganisms, with or in the absence of physiological media and operate under mechanical loads.
In this presentation, we will summarize our collective experience over the past decade working on various bio-engineered TSC coatings that include traditional air plasma spray bioceramic coatings, novel cold sprayed biocomposite coatings, as well as solution precursor plasma spraying of transition metal-substituted biomedical coatings. We will highlight fundamental links between TSC coating’s roughness topology, microstructure, elemental composition, chemical phases with important potential properties of biocompatibility and/or antimicrobial. Our studies have highlighted several knowledge gaps that raise critical scientific propositions. For example; manufacturing methods can create surface architectures that either promote or inhibit cellular growth.
This fundamental understanding is driving our frontier research towards new applications that will employ thermal spray manufacturing. The challenges and risks are great; but so are the opportunities and rewards.
Acknowledgements: This study was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) under the Industrial Transformation Training Centre projects, IC170100022 (Innovative Bioengineering) and IC180100005 (Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials, ‘SEAM’). We are grateful for the additional support for the industrial, university and other organization partners who have contributed to the establishment and support of these centres.